Seattle - Ballard

I first went to Seattle sometime around 1999 or 2000 for a week-long training class.  Those were the days when Northwest flew DC-10s cross-country, and upgrades were easy to get.  It didn't hurt to be upgraded to a corner suite at the Renaissance, and certainly didn't hurt to have perfect weather for five days.  But I distinctly remember how my first impression of Seattle blew me away.  It is hard to imagine too many people who can't be impressed by its natural beauty and ambiance.  Staying, as I did, in the downtown area, I had my first taste of Belltown, Pike's market, Pioneer Square and all the rest of the downtown neighborhood.  There was a definite je ne sais quoi about Seattle.

I was smitten.

As I was leaving Seattle, I resolved to return as soon as possible.  A couple of years later, I had the good fortune of being assigned to a two-week consulting engagement in the Seattle suburb of Bothell, which extended to over 5 months.  Initially sceptical of being located in a suburb, I quickly realized how attractive Bothell was, and even more so, its neighbor, Woodinville.  Ironically, those were perhaps the worst months of the year weather-wise, but the rain and overcast skies did not bother me at all.  In fact, the rarity with which the mountains were visible when the skies cleared made them that much more spectacular.

When the other members of the team went home every weekend (including some who lived on the east coast), I went back every other weekend and, on two occasions, stayed for four weeks at a time. I explored every weekend - from Snoqualmie Falls to Enumclaw, Puyallup and the Mt Rainier area (though I never got the nerve to drive up!) - and thoroughly enjoyed driving the back roads, discovering new vistas with each turn.  I was on a professional high, the clients were nothing short of wonderful and everybody I met at work and outside work was as nice as could be.

I knew I had to move to Seattle some day.

Ten years later, this trip was meant to validate my feelings.  I spent hours online researching condos in the neighborhoods I thought I would like, down to checking out walking scores.  Armed with a short list of neighborhoods, the idea behind this trip was to explore them and try to experience what they would be like as a potential home.

As I settled into the cab for the ride from the Amtrak station to the Hampton Inn next to the Seattle Center, I was surprised by the cab driver telling me how much he disliked Seattle.  A native New Yorker, family considerations had caused him to move west, and his biggest complaint was the coldness with which Seattle presented itself.  He missed the gregarious friendliness of his fellow New Yorkers.  Now, I will admit that New York is really a very friendly city - contrary to popular opinion - but his experience of Seattle certainly did not mirror those of my own past visits.

Still, I couldn't help notice that Seattle had changed.  There was a lot more traffic, the streets were more crowded - some with many more homeless people - and the city's almost perfectly genteel demeanor now seemed to exhibit a certain edginess.   Compared to cities like Chicago, or small towns like Flagstaff, my impression is that Seattle is more deferentially polite than extrovertedly friendly.  But who is to say which is better?  On to the neighborhoods!

Ballard

Originally a Scandinavian settlement, Ballard had not made a particualry strong impression on me during my previous visits.  However, everything I had read online recently convinced me that I had to revisit Ballard - and I was right.  How I could have missed it before, I don't know.  It is possible that Ballard ten years back was not the Ballard of today, but of the neighborhoods I spent time in, Ballard was my hands down favorite.

Even though it is large enough to support as many merchants as downtown Bethesda, it felt very livable and one could conceivably never have to leave Ballard for anything.  You can definitely give up your car in Ballard.  The Sunday Farmer's Market is bigger than the one in Takoma Park in Maryland, and was such a fun place to hang out in.

Ballard is eminently walkable.  There are enough coffee shops, pubs, restaurants and even a couple of live music venues that you can walk to.  Add to that a few supermarkets (Safeway, Ballard Market, QFC), not to mention the Swedish Hospital to boot, and you're likely to find that any trips outside of Ballard could really become optional.  I find self contained neighborhoods like this to be very attractive.

Ballard has supposedly seen a lot of new condo construction like this:

And I saw more being built, like this:

 

 



Some see the condo invasion as an abomination, but I see it as no different from the situation in so many parts of the country.  My own neck of the woods in the Grosvenor/Strathmore area of Bethesda is essentially unrecognizable to someone who has not been around for ten years.  Still, the charm of Ballard Ave is hard to miss:

Wouldn't it be nice to have access to a public library like this?

Next to a park like this?

As I understand it, there is a plan to extend Seattle's new streetcar network to Ballard, terminating at the park.  What a great thing that would be!

For now the streetcars run between South Lake Union and downtown:

More public transportation like this all over the country, and America could well join the 21st century in style.

Ballard struck me as being a cozy, comfortable enclave, nearly completely self-contained with an unmistakable neighborhood feel - and I sampled one important ingredient.

 
Ballard Pictures

More Seattle in the next section.